Cowboys look for upset at BYU

Published 1:45 am Friday, September 21, 2018

LAKE CHARLES — McNeese State would love to get lost in the BYU shuffle.

Playing the suddenly resurgent Cougars — ranked in the polls for the first time since September of 2015 when the Cougars checked in this week at No. 25 — the Cowboys find themselves in a perfect spot to shock the college football world.

BYU (2-1) is coming off an upset of No. 6 Wisconsin on the road last week and plays at No. 10 Washington next week. So the Cowboys (3-0, 2-0 in the Southland Conference) are stepping up to the big level at maybe the right time.

The two teams play for the first time Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. and can be seen on BYUtv (channel 374 on Directv, Suddenlink 369) and ESPN 3.

A sellout crowd is expected for the game.

“We can’t wait,” said McNeese linebacker B.J. Blunt, who has five sacks and 20 tackles to lead the Cowboys defense. “We are licking our chops. We think we can beat anybody.”

McNeese has a history of playing bowl division teams tough, including Power 5 clubs. BYU is like a Power 5 team with its history and now current status back in the spotlight even if it is listed as an independent.

However, it has been more than a few years since the Cougars were among college football’s elite, which could mean they are not likely to be looking past the Cowboys, who enter the contest ranked 9/10 in the latest FCS polls.

“They are not going to overlook us,” McNeese head coach Lance Guidry said. “I think they will give us their best shot.”

BYU players are saying the same thing.

“I used to hear a lot about trap games,” Cougars defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi said. “You come in and you beat a big team like Wisconsin and then it’s a trap game if a play a smaller school next. 

“We took the target off Wisconsin and now the target is on us. We believe that McNeese is going to be coming full speed after us. We have to be on top of our game this week.”

The BYU coach is sounding like a man taking this game seriously. 

“Some say this will be a harder game,” said Kalani Sitake, who like Guidry is in his third year coaching at his alma mater. “It will be if we are not ready. We expect McNeese to come in here ready to play.

“They are going to try to do to us what we did to Wisconsin.”

The Cowboys say they are ready for what lies ahead.

“I think the entire team is looking forward to the environment,” McNeese quarterback James Tabary said. “You want to play in these types of games, to measure how you stand against the best.”

The senior Tabary, who is closing in on most of McNeese’s passing records, played in such an environment when he was a freshman at Arkansas State. His first college start came against USC in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“It was a lot of fun,” Tabary said. “We are going to go out there, get off the plane and play football. We won’t be scared.”

In the last 30 years BYU has a perfect 11-0 record against teams from the lower FCS level dating back to when it was called 1-AA. McNeese, on the other hand, has a somewhat impressive 8-23-1 mark of its own when playing up, including close losses to Nebraska, Texas A&M and North Carolina from the Power 5.

“Those are three games we could have won,” said Guidry. 

The last time McNeese scheduled a team from the Power 5 was in 2015 when the Cowboys traveled to Baton Rouge for a game with LSU. However heavy rain and continued lightning forced the contest to be canceled after just 11 plays. They will play at Oklahoma State next fall.

Led by senior tailback Squally Canada (265 yards on 51 carries and 5 touchdowns) the Cougars have transformed from the soft and slow team LSU trounced in the season opener last year into a much more physical squad. Also, the top four BYU pass catchers are all running backs.

“They are going to want to be physical,” Guidry said. “I was impressed at what they did to Wisconsin.

“We are going to be tested. We are going to have to try and use our speed and we are going to have to lay a hat of them.”

One thing BYU has been good at is holding onto the ball. The Cougars have just two turnovers in their three games, both on interceptions by Tanner Mangum. McNeese will counter with a balanced attack and a defense that has been solid and leads the FCS in sacks with 14 and has collected nine takeaways.

“We are going to have to make some plays, make some breaks and get some turnovers,” Guidry said. “I know our players think we can win and our coaches think we can win.”

Maybe, just maybe, the Cougars will fall into the McNeese trap.